A Riverdale roundabout survey is misleading the public and is little more than a territorial election stunt by the neighbourhood's MLAs.

That's the opinion of Mayor Ernie Bourassa, who says city councillors were not pleased with Riverdale MLAs Glenn Hart and Ted Staffen wading into municipal politics, an area where they have no mandate.

'The survey is misleading; it doesn't offer any options. It's basically an opinion poll on roundabouts,' Bourassa said in an interview this morning.

'If they were that interested in municipal politics, they should have run for council instead of the legislative assembly.'

The survey was 'little more than an ill-conceived election gambit,' Bourassa added. A territorial election must be called this year.

The survey has been circulating around Riverdale recently. It emanated from Staffen's and Hart's offices and asks Riverdale residents for their views on a $250,000-roundabout budgeted for 2007 at the intersection of Lewes Boulevard and Hospital Road.

The survey reads:

'The City of Whitehorse has proposed a traffic circle to be built at the Riverdale side of the Robert Campbell Bridge.

'As your MLAs, we are interested in your opinion on the exit from Riverdale to downtown using the Robert Campbell Bridge and the traffic flow at the junction (s) of Lewes and Nisutlin, Alsek and Lewes and Alsek and the F.H. Collins/Selkirk entrance.

'We will share this information with the City of Whitehorse and the Riverdale Community Association.'

The survey asks residents to list their preference between: leaving the area as it is; constructing roundabouts or traffic circles; putting in traffic lights; or constructing a third lane on the bridge.

In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Staffen said the survey did indeed come from his office.

He said both he and Hart had been made aware of the issue after hearing some concerns from their constituents and that they were conducting the survey in an attempt to assist city council.

'The survey is to supply information to the city and the Riverdale Community Association,' he said, explaining that they expect to forward the survey results to the city by the end of March.

Asked whether he felt he and Hart are wading into a political area where they have no mandate, Staffen said the matter had been discussed between the two MLAs.

'(Hart) and I discussed that. Firstly, we're residents of Riverdale; it's not only a city issue, it's a riding issue,' Staffen said.

He said while he and Hart have only received between 100 and 120 surveys back from the public, it appears, initially, that the public is not in favour of the traffic calming measure.

'They are generally running about six-to-one against a traffic circle,' he said.

Coun. Bev Buckway said Tuesday she disagrees with Staffen.

'It's not just a Riverdale issue,' Buckway said. Parents driving their children to school or people going to Whitehorse General Hospital also use Riverdale roads, she added.

Buckway said she doesn't really understand why the two MLAs would issue a survey about a municipal matter, as she believes it could be misleading to the public.

'This was something that was done without the city's knowledge. It's misleading and it adds to misconceptions,' she said.

While the city had included the $250,000-project in its preliminary 2007 budget, nothing had been decided, she said. The city is still conducting traffic and engineering studies and the matter will be brought before the public before any decision is made on the issue, Buckway noted.

'A roundabout is only one of the options. Once people have the correct information, they can make an informed choice,' she said.